Susan Meers sent me her favorite chocolate pound cake recipe, in response to a recent request. Susan said that her copy is yellowed from years of use. I added a simple ganache for the photograph.

Requests

Holly Taylor asked for an angel food cake recipe. Mary Mills wants to make the best banana nut muffins. Mary says she does not have a computer and cannot get out like she used to, but she still reads her paper every day. Send me your banana nut muffin recipes and I will choose one to run for Mary.

Lu Valdez emailed a request for a coconut candy made with bits of pineapple. Lu has been searching for this recipe for years.

Readers?

'The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge'

Win a trip to Washington, D.C., and an invitation to the Kids' "State Dinner" hosted by the White House.

Team up with your 8-12 year-old and create a lunch that meets the contest requirements.

More Information

Why: With summer upon us, we tend to gravitate toward light, crisp wines. One of our go-to favorites is this pinot gris from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Adelsheim was one of the original producers of the grape outside of Europe. The wine has great flavors of papaya, crisp apples and pears with a wonderful texture plus a crisp acidity.

Buy it: $32 for a bottle at Haven ($18 at Spec's)

Call 409-832-0252 or go to raosbakery.com to register. Cost is $60 per child per class.

Instructions: Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa.

Add to creamed mixture alternating with milk and vanilla, beating after each addition.

Pour batter into the tube pan and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30-40 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Use a cake tester or skewer to test.

Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then remove from the pan.

Frost if desired.

When using lower temps the bake time may vary.

Make sure you use a long skewer or cake tester to get all the way down to the bottom of the cake.

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream, half and half or milk

Instructions: Melt the chocolate chips in a heavy sauce pan, adding a tablespoon of milk or two at a time, until the chocolate is melted and the ganache is a nice spreadable texture.